ICP Asks UN How Saudi Sell-Out Discredits Its Reporters, Like Kirby
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 9, 2016 -- How credible are today's UN reports on human rights, its blacklists and statements of condemndation? Under Ban Ki-moon, countries with money with Saudi Arabia can be removed from blacklists. How then to take the other lists and statements, such as those on June 8, seriously?
Ban put Saudi Arabia on the annex to his Children and Armed Conflict report, for what it has done in Yemen. Then he reversed course - and when criticized had his officials spin scribes about how he had been blackmailed, how he had only sold out in order to help Palestinians who would be left without aid.
In this version, it's the Security Council that's to blame, for not backing up Ban against Morocco. Because he cares so much, and because others care so little, he had to sell out: This is the party line. This compounds the bungling.
On June 8, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric, if he couldn't deny that Saudi monetary threats led to its deletion from the annex (he did not deny that), to explain how this doesn't discredit UN human rights blacklists. Video here. Those on them just can't afford to buy their way off.
Why hasn't Michael Kirby, expert on Eritrea without visiting the country or speaking to anyone in it, spoken out against Ban's sell-out and discrediting of the very human rights lists and reports Kirby works on? Kirby worked on North Korea, an issue many in South Korea say Ban is trying to use to run for President in 2017. We'll have more on this.
On June 8, Inner City Press asked Dujarric directly about this. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: the perception is that… that… and this is why I think you should… well, I'm asking you to address the financial aspect of it, because it ends up appearing, many countries are on various human rights lists and annexes, and it appears if a country either threatens to withdraw its money or has money that it could pay that it comes off the list, which sort of devalues the other countries that are on it, devalues the whole process. So what can you say about the perceived nexus between a country's financial strength and willingness to threaten the UN with withdrawal of it and being taken off lists to those who remain on the list?
Spokesman: I think what I would say is that the report as it is, the content of the report, the body of the report stands. Every word stands. And we stand by the figures and the information contained in the report. It paints a horrific picture of the suffering of Yemeni civilians and especially Yemeni children. And I think that report is out. And it's public. And it's for everyone to see and we're not walking back from the report and the content of the report and the narrative that's in the report.
Inner City Press: the narrative portion is still there, but UN list, it does compile lists. There are blacklists on various topics, and if it's the case that… that… that parties that have money are willing to threaten to withdraw money can be taken off the list, the whole list is not credible.
Spokesman: I think that's your interpretation, and I'm not going to go into postgame analysis on it.
Dujarric then disallowed Inner City Press questions later in the briefing, finally outright refusing to take one about refugees. This is Ban's UN.